


Close to Perfect

by SalamanderGoo



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Implied Past Abuse, M/M, Teacher Dan, child oc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-04 15:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17900564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalamanderGoo/pseuds/SalamanderGoo
Summary: For the longest time, it’s just been Marie and her dad, Brian.  Her mom has been gone for years, but maybe new sparks are flying.  Does this mean her English teacher is her new dad?





	1. Chapter 1

Brian frowned, shoving his hands in his pockets. “...I lost my keys.”

“Dad. I’m holding them.”

“...right. I handed them to you.”

Marie snorted as she handed them to Brian, watching him shove them in his pocket. “How’d you forget? It’s been 12 seconds.”

“I’ve had a long day, kid. And I’m old.”

“God, you really are, aren’t you.”

“...be nice to me. I left you money to order dinner instead of making you cook.”

“Because you like the house not burned down. Dad, have we ever had a home cooked meal?” Marie grinned as they walked into her school.

“Your Uncle Barry makes us food sometimes!” Brian sighed. “If you keep this up, your next birthday gift is going to be Dad and Daughter cooking classes.”

“You really do love filling the single dad cliches, don’t you?” She laughed, leading Brian through the halls. “Why did you sign up for parent teacher conferences anyway? I do good in all my classes, I’m not disruptive... I’m a good student.”

“I know you’re a good kid, Marie.” Brian ruffled her hair. “I just want to meet your teachers. I’ve had a conference with your teachers every year you’ve been in school since kindergarten. Of course, that’s when...”

“When mom was still around, I know. Well... kindergarten anyway.” She smiled. “But now it’s just us. Destroying everything in our kitchen one fire at a time.”

“We made edible cupcakes for that bake sale!” Brian grinned. “Baking is more scientific anyway.”

Marie rolled her eyes. “Scientific, sure.”

“It is. It’s called chemical reactions.”

“Dad, please. Don’t embarrass me in front of my teachers.” She opened the door to her algebra teacher’s room.

“I would never.” He smiled as they walked over to the teacher’s desk, extending a hand. “Hi, I’m Brian Wecht, Marie’s dad.”

“Ms. Lang. It’s good to meet you. Marie, Mr. Wecht, take a seat.” She gestured to the chairs in front of her desk.

Most of the conferences were short, Marie playing a game on her phone while Brian talked to her teachers, who had nothing bad to say about her. Brian smiled at Marie. “Look at you, such a scholar.”

Marie laughed as they headed to the last conference. “What? You think I’m gonna get a PhD like you?”

“I doubt that. I don’t even know what you’d get a PhD in.”

“Yeah. I’ll probably end up with a bachelors and then a bunch of after college school stuff.”

“Specific.”

“Thank you.” She laughed. “You’re going to hate Mr. Avidan.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He’s scatterbrained. And not the most organized.”

“Marie, he’s an English teacher. I’d expect nothing less.”

She laughed. “What, are there stereotypes for types of teacher?”

Brian nodded. “Yup. The world of academia is a harsh jungle.”

“...didn’t you watch the emoji movie with your class last week?”

“I’m tenured. And the class took a vote. I respect democracy.”

“Right, And that’s where the difference is.”

“Now you’re catching on.” As Brian opened the door, his breath caught in his throat as he saw Mr. Avidan. He was... incredibly attractive. But this wasn’t the time to have a crush on his daughter’s teacher.

Mr. Avidan looked up and smiled. “You must be Mr. Wecht! It’s nice to meet you. You’ve raised an incredibly smart young lady.”

He laughed. “I’ve done my best. She’s a gremlin on the good days.”

Marie pouted. “Hey, it’s not like I go out and spend your money. You don’t even have a set curfew for me so I could be out until 1 if I wanted.”

“No. You wouldn’t.” He sat down, smiling.

Mr. Avidan laughed. “Marie is very eloquent for a girl her age, she stays on top of her assignments, and the only problem I’ve ever had is her reading during grammar lessons.”

“I’m not surprised, but it’s nice to hear.” Brian smiled. “She’s not crossing any lines with sarcasm or anything?”

“Well, she likes to joke around in class, but she’s never crossed the line. She’s usually the only one engaged in her class anyway. Most 7th graders aren’t quite as eager to answer questions about plot analysis.” He laughed. “It’s nice, actually. It’s usually just the uh... extra nerdy kids.”

“...you’ve met Marie, right?”

“Dad!” Marie made a face at him.

“I’m right and you know it.”

“...you’re worse. He has a PhD which is a million years of college.” She looked back at her phone. 

Mr. Avidan laughed. “A million?”

“It felt that way.” Brian smiled, shrugging. “I mean, I teach at a college, so it is kind of a million years.”

“Really? That’s so cool!” Mr. Avidan smiled. “I suppose you do look the type. In a good way.”

“Oh, thank you.” Brian rubbed the back of his neck, absolutely not blushing.

It was awkwardly silent for a long moment before Mr. Avidan lightly cleared his throat. “I don’t really have much to say about Marie. She’s a good kid, has great grades to back it up... she’s doing fantastic in my class.”

Brian stood up and nodded. “I’m glad to hear it. And it was great meeting you.”

“You too!” He waved as Brian and Marie walked out.

“Dad. Dad, oh my god, did you see what was happening?” Marie looked at him with big eyes as they walked out to Brian’s car.

“...what?”

“Mr. Avidan was flirting with you!” She gasped. “My teacher was flirting with you.”

Brian was definitely blushing, but it was hidden by the darkness. “He was just being nice, don’t be dramatic.”

“It’s just... weird! Because he’s my teacher and you’re my dad!”

“I know, but he wasn’t flirting.” He shook his head, unlocking the car. “I’m going to stop at a drive through to get food because I... have not eaten today. Want a milkshake?”

“...Yes please.”

The drive home was quiet, but a content kind of quiet. Brian stopped to get himself dinner and gave Marie her milkshake.

Later that evening, Brian was grading papers while Marie played some cartoony looking game on the tv. “...you mentioned mom earlier. You don’t talk about her much.”

“I guess I kind of did. It’s... been awhile. You don’t really ask about her.” Brian paused in his writing, setting his pen down. “...is this you asking about her?”

“I guess.” Marie frowned. “I kind of remember her. But not much.”

“You were 6 when she left. I... was kind of always the one taking care of you. Your mother was... Marie, she wasn’t exactly the best person.”

“If that’s true, why did you marry her?” Marie kept playing her game, her voice quiet.

“She changed as we got older. We met in college, fell in love... I proposed after we’d graduated. She got pregnant with you a few years later. I was overjoyed. I mean, I’d wanted to be a father for a long time, but she wasn’t quite as enthusiastic, I suppose. After you were born, it felt like she resented me.” Brian sighed. “She was cold towards you a lot of the time. She was kind of...” He let out another sigh, but it was shaky. 

“...did she hurt you?” Marie looked over at him, biting her lip.

“...she’d slap me sometimes. After you started kindergarten, that’s when she left. She moved in with... some man I’d never met. She left divorce papers on the kitchen table. She didn’t take anything, she didn’t ask for money, didn’t ask for custody of you. She just... left.” Brian looked up at the ceiling, blinking back tears. “I remember not eating or sleeping much after she left and I was trying to figure it all out on my own, you looked up at me one day and asked where she’d gone.” He weakly laughed. “I almost broke right there, but... I always tried not to let you see me upset.” 

Marie paused her game and moved to hug Brian tightly. “I... I didn’t know.”

Brian hugged back just as tight. “That’s how I was trying to keep it. You were young, you didn’t need to know. You job was to be a kid. My job was to deal with all the adult problems.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I loved your mother, but that fell apart. And now I love you far more than I ever loved her. I’m incredibly proud of the young woman you’re becoming.”

“I love you too dad.” Marie smiled at him, but hesitated. “I... I know I have a few old pictures of her and now I just...”

“If you want to keep them, it’s up to you. You can do whatever you want with them. It’s starting to get late... save your game and head to bed, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay... good night dad. I love you.”

“I love you too, Marie.” He watched as she headed upstairs, sighing softly. He hadn’t thought about her in a long time. He stood up, looking at an old picture on the wall of him with standing with Kim, holding Marie when she was 2. He found himself missing Kim sometimes, but then he’d remember the horrible things she’d said to him. About him. About their marriage. About Marie.

For the first time since it had gone up nearly 11 years ago, he took it down. He opened the frame, took the picture out and replaced it with a photo of him with Marie that Barry had taken while at the park a few years back.

As Brian hung up the photo, he couldn’t help but smile. It was just him and Marie, but they were a family. And it was as close to perfect as it had ever been before.


	2. Chapter 2

Dan hummed, the sun setting as he stood outside the door to Arin and Suzy’s house, holding a container of cookies he’d baked. Arin answered the door with a bright grin. “Hey man! Right on time. Suzy and I are just finishing up dinner.”

“It smells great, dude. Thanks for inviting me over.”

“Yeah, of course. Suze and I know you always feel stressed after conferences and shit like that.” He gave Dan a hug, letting him inside.

“Uncle Danny!” A little girl ran over to him, hugging his legs.

“Hey Lily!” Dan laughed, scooping her up. “How’s my little flower petal doing?”

She giggled, hugging him around the shoulders as he held her on his hip. “Good! Mochi cuddled me today when I read to him!”

“Wow! So you’re reading these days, huh? Maybe you’re ready for my class.” He kissed her cheek.

Lily giggled, wiggling to get him to put her down. She ran off, bringing him a grumpy looking Mochi. “Mochi!”

“There’s the grumpy kitten.” Dan kneeled down to pet Mochi, who meowed at him. “He likes me.”

“He can sense innate goodness,” Suzy teased, leaning out of the kitchen. “Which is why he scratched Arin this morning.”

“Makes sense.” Dan stood up to give Suzy a hug, dramatically gasping when she kissed his cheek. “Suzy! No, you have cooties.”

“Now you do too.” She patted his cheek. “Come on, it’s time to eat because you’re too skinny.”

“When did you become my mom?” He laughed, but followed her to the table, where Arin was pouring a glass of juice for Lily. Mimi was laying on the floor directly in the way, and Dan couldn’t help but to smile. Arin and Suzy’s home was always warm and felt like a home. It never felt lonely.

Suzy plated chicken and potatoes before taking her seat. “So, any plans for the holidays, Dan?”

“Nah. I can’t make it to New Jersey, so I’m just kind of planning on chilling.”

“Well, if you want, our friend Ross is doing a little get together. He and his... roommate Barry are inviting their friend and his daughter, and said we could ask you. You’ve met Ross, right?”

“The Australian guy who’s super mean? But also really charming?”

Arin snorted. “Yeah, him.”

“Yeah, he’s great!” Dan grinned. “I’d love to come. If for no other reason than to spoil my favorite niece.” He reached over to pat Lily’s head. She stuck her tongue out.

“I’ll let them know!” There was idle chatter for a few more minutes before Arin hummed. “So, how’d conferences go anyway? Any problem kids?”

“Nah, most of my classes are chill this year. They went as well as I could’ve expected anyway.” He shrugged. “You know that girl I talk about sometimes? In my second period class?”

“The one who likes animals? Sure.”

“Her dad is... kinda cute.”

Suzy nearly choked on her water. “You have a crush on your student’s dad?”

“Not a crush! He’s just... attractive. I don’t know.”

Arin laughed. “Don’t be a home wrecker.”

“...I’m pretty sure he’s single.” Before they could say anything else, he quickly continued. “He didn’t have a ring, it’s usually moms who come in for conferences, and Marie talks to me after classes sometimes and she’s never mentioned a mom before!”

“Still.” Arin was trying not to completely break down into laughter. “Do you even know his name?”

“...no. And I’d feel weird going into records to find out.”

“Oh, Danny.” Suzy sighed, shaking her head, a small smile on her lips. “You are... an entirely ridiculous man. 

“...am not.”

“Uncle Danny is silly!” Despite not knowing what was happening, Lily spoke up, smiling brightly.

Arin reached over to wipe off some ketchup from her face. “He sure is, sweet pea.”

Dan huffed, crossing his arms. “I’ve been single too long.”

“Maybe. When’s the last time you went on a date?”

“...two years ago. I’m busy a lot!”

Suzy shook her head. “Understandable. So, how’s music going?”

He shrugged. “There isn’t much happening, honestly. It’s hard to do more than just like... karaoke. Which is fun, but I’d love to try and find someone to do original stuff with.”

Arin smiled. “Well, I’ll keep an ear to the ground. I know a bunch of musicians and artists.”

“Thanks man. I can always count on you.” Dan hummed happily, finishing his dinner. He got up to help with the dishes, Arin taking Lily upstairs to change into her jammies. 

Suzy smiled as she handed him a plate to dry off. “I’m glad you could come over. It’s always nice to have you around, and Lily loves you so much.”

“I love her too.” He grinned. “She’s my favorite niece.” He paused. “...actually wait, my sister might be having a girl.”

Suzy laughed. “The sentiment is appreciated. You’re part of our family.”

Dan grinned, hugging her around the waist, intentionally getting water on her. “Love you Scuzy!”

She yelped, laughing loudly. “Dan! No!”

Arin looked out into the kitchen. “Is murder happening?”

“Yup!” Dan grinned.

“Oof.”

“Avenge me, Arin.” Suzy grinned as she rinsed soap off her hands, reaching up to pat Dan’s head with wet hands. Dan grinned, letting go of her. Suzy dried her hands on Dan’s shirt, smirking at him. “Come on, it’s movie time.”

Dan stuck his tongue out, but followed her out to the living room. He picked up Mimi before sitting down with Lily. Lily grinned, climbing onto Dan’s lap. “Hi.”

“Hey Lily.” Dan smiled, setting Mimi down next to him. He wrapped his arms around her, ticking her sides to make her squeal with laughter.

Arin smiled as he sat down, starting the movie. It was some bubbly princess movie that Dan didn’t understand. Before the movie had ended, Lily was asleep in his arms, snuggled up to him. Dan was half asleep, his head leaning back on the back of the couch as he breathed softly.

Suzy was curled up against Arin, holding his hand as they watched the movie. After a little while longer, she looked over at Dan and Lily. “...We’re just watching this Barbie movie, aren’t we?”

“...yeah. I mean, we did watch like an hour of Sesame Street after she went to color the other day.”

Suzy smiled, leaning over to poke Dan. “Hey, do you want to take her to bed?”

Dan jolted a little, blinking his eyes fully open. “M? Yeah, okay.” He yawned, picking Lily up on his hip.

She stirred, blinking her eyes open a little. “What?”

“I’m taking you to bed. Want to say goodnight to your mommy and daddy?”

She nodded, waving tiredly. Arin smiled. “Goodnight sweetpea. We love you.”

“Love you too...” She pressed her face against Dan’s shoulder as he headed upstairs. He laid her down and tucked her in, smiling when Mochi laid down on top of the blankets.

He kissed her forehead softly. “Sleep well, Lily.”

“Good night, uncle Danny...” She got cozy under her pink blankets, closing her eyes as he turned on her night light.

Suzy has turned off the movie, looking up when Dan came back downstairs. “Are you gonna hang around longer?”

Dan shook his head. “I think I’ll head home. This was nice though!”

Arin got up to hug him tight. “Love you Dan. Thanks for coming over.”

“Love you too, man.” He smiled, letting go over a moment. “And I love you, Scuzinator.” He gave her a hug as she laughed.

“You’re such a dork, Dan.” She kissed his cheek. “Drive safe.”

“I will. See you two soon.” He grabbed his jacket and headed out, smiling as he headed home.

He sighed as he went into his apartment. It always felt... emptier after coming home from hanging out with them.

Maybe someday it would feel less empty...


End file.
